96 Geo Prizm Squeaking Problem/Steering Pump Problem?...Cant Figure Out what it is?

[metro_56]

My husband and I own a 1996 Geo Prism LSI.. Great car for the many years we have had it, however, we had to have the whole steering system replaced about 2 years ago... About 1 yr ago the car started to scream, like the belts were no good or loose when we would start it up or sometimes it would do it all the time when we would sit or give it gas...

So my husband replaced all the belts on the car and gaskets new..... unfortunately, this didn't fix the problem... we then thought it was a leak from one of the gaskets, and again retightened the gaskets, and adjusted the belts including timing, which is what we were fixing in the first place on this car...however this didn't work.. we replaced the steering belt 3 times with a new one.. no such luck!!!! My husband and I are stumped..

He feels it might be the steering pump grinding and causing the squeeling noise, but it does it when it is cold more so than when it is hot outside...we have to give it gas in the morning to get ride of the squeeling noise to about 3 RPM.. Any help would be great... I don't know that it is the pump itself.. which we have replaced twice before with brand new pumps... any ideas????????

[Lemming]

wrong forum, but just so you know the prism was made for chey by toyota and it's a carolla just with different name tags, just so you have somewhere else to search, good luck

[metro_56]

i know this, however, there have been several people on this Geo forum with same car, so really this is okay to post on this forum as it is a GEO...afterall eventhough the guts are toyota... thanks